Worm, a novella by Tim Curran, is a recent release from the dark fiction publisher Darkfuse. Without warning, oozing slime and fetid matter bursts from the ground, and within hours a small Wisconsin town is hip deep in the gruesome sludge. The smell is horrible, but that is not the worst of the town’s problems.

Inside the mud are sightless and segmented worms multiple feet long that have a knack for eating the townspeople. They are capable of moving with lightning speed, snaring their prey without warning. Supposedly, the National Guard is going from neighborhood to neighborhood rescuing the inhabitants, but for the unfortunate folks of Pine Street, the rescuers seem to be starting at the wealthy end of town – and they’re at the opposite end of the SES spectrum. So, they’re on their own.

This is Saturday afternoon creature feature material. There is no character development to speak of (although there is one guy who is stuck for the day with his wife’s annoying, yapping, puff ball of a dog – he adds a little life to the human side of things).

The scene is set quickly. The ground rumbles and the worms appear. People die. Given the pacing, you care little for who lives or dies. But, heck, if you’re reading a horror novel called the Worm, what do you want. Worm action, of course. The worm attacks become increasingly dramatic and gruesome (for instance, besides the ground, the worms come up through the plumbing. Think toilets).

On more than one occasion I realized I was reacting viscerally, squirming and tensing my muscles as I read. I found the writing to be pretty cinematic; I could visualize the characters wading through the ooze, unaware if or when the worms would attack.

Definitely creepy. When you get right down to it, what more can you ask from killer worms?